Long-distance level.



N0. 819,350. 'PATENTED MAY 1 J. H. JANSSEN E E. T. KOESTER..

LONE DISTANCE LEVEL. APPLICATION FILED. MAYSl. 1995.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

J OSEPH H. JANSSEN AND FREDERICK T. KOESTER, OE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

' LONG-DISTANCE LEVEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.r'atentea May 1, 1906.

Application filed May 31, 1905. Serial No. 263,112-

To all whom, it muy concern:

Be it known that we, JOSEPH H. JANSSEN and FREDERICK T. KOESTER, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have in-l vented certain new and useful Improvements in Long-Distance Levels; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, andv to the letters of-reference marked thereon, which form a part of this speciiication.

This invention relates to a novel long-distance leveling device or instrument adapted for leveling building foundations, sidewalks, and other like work of a length within the practical range of the instrument.

Among the objects of our invention is to produce an exceedingly simple, reliable, and inexpensive instrument for long-distance leveling and one which may be used by those not specially skilled in the use of instruments for this purpose now in use.

A long-distance leveling instrumentv embodying our invention embraces in general' terms a leveling member adapted to be rotatively or pivotally mounted on a suitable stationary support located at a starting-point or position of known or prescribedl horizontal distance from the surface ofthe ground and acord or cable attached to said leveling member and adapted to be pulled outwardly therefrom and held taut and to be brought to a horizontal or other predetermined position through the aid of an indicating device carried by the leveling member, so as to determine therefrom the proper levels of distant objects. The leveling member includes a suitable indicating device by which may be determined the horizontal or other desired position of the leveling-cord. The leveling member may readily be arranged and operated to indicate a divergence of the levelingcord from the horizontal, measured in degrees, either above or below the horizontal. Conveniently the leveling-cord is wound upon a reel when not in use and is unwound therefrom as the person who handles the cord moves away from the leveling member of the instrument. Said reel is provided with a shank or handle by which it is held as the cord is wound upon and unwound therefrom, and the handle may bear a defined relation with respect to its length to the distance bedescribed. If, for instance, the person whose duty it-is to draw the cord outwardly for levelin distant objects or for determining the leve at distant points also drives stakes for the purpose of -permanently indicating such level, the stakes are driven successively and each stake leveled as it is driven. After the irst stake has been driven and leveled the stake-driver moves forwardly the distance of another stake and drives another stake and levels the same in the same manner as before. The person who has charge of the leveling instrument at the starting-point indicates to the person handling the cord, by reference to the leveling member, when the instrument indicates that the cord occupies a horizontal or other desired position, and from the cord the distant objects are leveled. The leveling operation continues until the limit of the strength of the string or cord is reached, such limit being that beyond which it becomes impracticable to maintain the cord taut. l

As shown in the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates the manner of using our improved longdistanceflevel, 'showing the instrument at the starting position andthe reel on which the leveling-cord is wound at a distance therefrom. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line-2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3 3 of Fig.` 2. Fig. 4 illustrates another manner of supporting the instrument at the starting-point. Fig. 5 illustrates a modified form of our invention.

The form of leveling member which forms part ofthe instrument located at the starting-point of a predetermined level (shown in Figs. l to 4, inclusive) embraces a disk freely rotative on a horizontal axis and is therefore balanced, and said disk carries an indicator by which is indicated 'the level or other position of the cord. Said circular leveling member A is mounted on Ia short shaft a, extending between and attached to the upper ends of lateral frame members B B, which are attached to or formed integral with a base- IOO plate B, which latter is preferably rotatively I IIO www.

base, side frame members, and braces are desirably made of an integral casting. Said disk A is provided near its periphery with an annular ball-race a', within which is located a ball a2, which finds its resting-place at the lowest part of said race, and therefore vertically below the axis of rotation of the disk. The disk or leveling member is provided at its lateral sides, preferably both sides, near its lower part with openings a3, through which the ball is exhibited, and the walls of the ball-race opposite said sight-openings are made transparent, as by pieces of glass a4, so as to confine the leveling-ball, while permitting its position' to be observed. The side members B of the frame are provided in line with the sight-openings of the disk with likeshaped openings b, whereby said frame does not conceal the ball. It may be observed that the curved race need not be a complete circle, but only a short segment at the lower side of the disk, but greater in length than the sight-opening.

The disk may be constructed in any suitable manner to provide a ball-race of the required length and having transparent side walls through which the ball is exhibited.

kAs herein shown, the disk comprises a central circular plate a5 and outer and inner circular plates a6 a7, concentric with and of greater diameter than the plate a5 and fitted flat together and fiat against said central plate. A ring a8 is fitted between and attached to the margins of said side plates a a7, and the annular ball-race a/ (shown in Fig. 3) is formed between said ring as and the central plate a5. The side plates a6 a7 are provided with the registering openings which constitute the sight-openings before referred to. The glass or other transparent side walls of the lower part of the raceways are seated in the openings of the inner side lates a7. The openings in the outer side pliites are made somewhat smaller, so that the upper margins of the glass plates are confined between the outer circular plates a6 and the central plate a5, whereby the glass plates are held in place. The plates are beveled above the upper margins of the openings a3, as shown at a9 in Fig. 2, and on each beveled margin, as herein shown, is located a scale-mark am, Figs. 1 and 4, which registers with the ball when the leveling member is in position to bring the taut leveling-cord D horizontal'. The outer plates a6 are provided with bosses cl2, which are made of such width as to hold the frame member separated from the disk except at said bosses, thus minimizing the friction between the rotative and stationary parts.

The cord D is preferably wound at its end remote from the leveling member upon a reel D and is attached to the leveling wheel or member by means of a metal loop D2, having screw-threaded engagement with the ring as,

constituting the periphery of the leveling member or disk. As herein shown, the cord is passed through a hole in the outer end of the loop and is knotted to hold it attached to the loop. The reel D is mounted between the arms d of a handle or shankD3, as shown in Fig. 1, and is provided with a crank d', by which the cord is wound thereon. The cord passes to the reel through a transverse guideopening in the shank, thereby fixing a constant distance between the cord and the lower end of said shank. The leveling-cord may be held immovable in the shank D3 of they reel when the cord is being stretched taut by pinching the cord between the thumb and the rear face of the shank. When the instrument is not in use, the cord is disconnected from the disk or leveling member A by unscrewing the loop D2 therefrom.

The support C, upon which the instrument at the starting-point is mounted, consists of a plate that is adapted to be placed'flatwise upon the stationary object from which the leveling operation is begun. For instance, in building sidewalks said supporting-plate mav be placed upon the curb, (indicated at E in Fig. 1,) the leveling operation being thereafter calculated from the level of said curb. The plate C may be provided with a depending lug C3 and a handle C2, by which it is held firmly upon its support against the pull of the leveling-cord,

Where no stationary object is at hand, as the curb E, (shown in Fig. 1,) upon which to support the leveling instrument, we may provide a suitable rod or support F, (shown in Fig. 4,) which is provided with screw-threads f, by which it may be turned into the ground, so asv to adjust the u per end thereof at a greater or less height om the surface of the ground. In order to thus turn the rod into and out of the ground, it is provided near its upper end with handles f f. A suitable manner of attaching the handles to the rod is to provide one'of said handles with a screwthreaded shank f2, which extends through a i transverse opening in the rod and engages a IOO IOS

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screw-threaded socket in the other handle.

Said rod is provided above said handles with a horizontal supporting-plate G, corresponding to the supporting-plate C before referred to, and is also provided above said plate with a reduced central stud f3, adapted to enter the socket in the part 2 of the instrument, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4,) whereby the instrument may rotate on its support to permit the leveling-cord to be drawn in any direction from the starting-point.

The reel-shank D3 is preferably so related to the instrument at the starting position that the distance between the lower end of the shank and the opening through which extends the cord D equals the distance between the axis of rotation of the leveling member or disk A and the botto-m ofthe support C or G,

son driving the leveling-stakes or otherwise dependingon which the .instrument is sup- Y ported.

The o eration of the instrument is as follows: TlIe leveling instrument is mounted and fixed upon a suitable support, (as either of the supports shown,) and the cord D is attached to the leveling member or disk A by screwing the loop D3 into the periphery of saiddisk in the manner described. Thereafter one of the two persons operating the device stands at the stationary instrument carrying the leveling-machine, and the perleveling distant objects grasps the shank of. the reel D and walks away from the instrument the distance required for the first stake, unwinding the cord the whilefrom the reel, and drives the first stake. In the preferred form of the device the shank D3 of the reel is of such length that when the stake is driven to the proper depth the leveling-lineDis horizontal when the shank D3 rests on the top of the driven stake. This will indicate that the top of the stakev isat the same level as the bottom of the support C or G from which the level is calculated. The stake-driver is apprised by predetermined signals from the person at the starting-point when the leveling-cord D is approaching or has reached a horizontal or other desired position with the. reel-shank resting on the driven stake. The horizontal position of the cord is found when the. leveling-balliaz, fwhich is always at the lowest level .of the raceway a, registers with the central or scale mark al of the disk. The stake-driver then passes on to the next position for driving the stake and unwinds the cord from the reel as he thus proceeds, and so on until the limit of range of the device is reached. Itwill be understood that the deviceis tested before being sent out for use. This may be mathematically effected by laying out the disk so as to insure that the point member and provided Vcoaxial therewith. It consists of attachment of the leveling-cord shall be located ninety degrees from the scale or indieating mark al. Again, such test ymay consist in placing the instrument when mounted on its support C or G on a level table of the required length and thereafter drawing the leveling-cord D outwardly therefrom, as indicated in Fig. 1, and resting the shank of the reel on the table.` The ballis at this time resting vertically beneath the axis of the disk and the scale-mark is impressed or' otherwise placed on the disk in line with the ball. At such time the string or cord D is horizontal and is at right angles to a lane passed through the axis of rotation of) the leveling member or disk and through the ball and scale-mark. It will thereafter be known in use that when the cord is drawn taut and the scale-mark al() registers with the ball the cord will be horizontal.

In addition to the central scale-mark al (indicated on the disk or leveling member) we may provide on either or both sides of said central scale-mark other scale-marks all to indicate a desired angle either above or below the horizontal. Moreover, the same general results may be secured by providing the shank of the reel-holder with scale-marks for the same general purpose, in which latter eventsaid shank instead of being set on top of the driven stake will be placed at one side thereof and the scale-marks made to register with the top of the stake or other object.

Inlieu of the indicating device carried by the leveling member, consisting of the selfcentering or gravity-actuated ball a2 and its race, we may provide a plumb-bob consisting of a short strand attached at one end to the shaft a or axis of rotation of the leveling at its other end with a weight adapted to coperate with a scalemark, as does the ball in the construction shown. This constructionis shown in Fig. 5, wherein a different form of leveling member is shown. As shown insaid drawings, I-I designates the leveling member as a whole, comprising a horizontal arm 7L, to which the leveling-cord D is attached, and a vertical arm 7L', provided at its lower end with a curved lower end h2, designed to receive ascale or indicating mark or marks. The leveling member is rotatively mountedon a shaft I, the frame or support of which is omitted for sake of clearness. A plumb-bob is suspended from the shaft of a strand i, attached to the support referred to, and a weight "i, suspended from the lower end thereof and designed to coperate with the scale or indicating mark or marks on the part h2 to indicate the level of the arm h and line D. Preferably said leveling member is balanced by means ofla counterweight h3, eX- tending opposite from the arm 7i. Moreover, other forms of leveling members and indicating devices may be employed without departing from the spirit of our invention. The disk form of leveling member is a desirable one, however, by reason of the fact that it is accurately counterbalanced, so that when drawing the string or cord D away from the same the only practical resistance to drawing the cord straight` is that due to the weight of the cord between its two points of support.

We claim as our invention- 1. A long-distance leveling device, comprising a support rotative on a vertical axis, a leveling member rotatively mounted thereon to rotate in a vertical plane, and a leveling-cord attached to said leveling member.

2. A long-distance leveling device, comprising a balanced rotative leveling member, a leveling-cord attached thereto, a reel. upon which said cord is wound and a shank on which said reel is rotatively mounted.

3. A long-distance leveling'l device, comprising a rotatively-mounted leveling mem- I or a partv IOO IIO

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ber, a leveling-cord attached thereto, a reel upon which said cord is wound and a shank on which said reel is rotatively mounted, said shank being provided with a transverse aperture through which the leveling-cord passes to the reel.

4. A long-distance leveling device comprising a frame or support, a leveling member rotatively mounted thereon, a levelingcord attached to said leveling nember, a reel upon which said cord is wound and a shank on which said reel is rotatively mounted, said shank being provided with a transverse aperture through which said cord passes to the reel, the parts being so arranged that the distance between said aperture and the lower end of the reel is equal to the distance between the axis of rotation of the leveling member and the lower part of its support.

5. A long-distance leveling device corrprising a balanced rotatively-mounted leveling member and a leveling-cord attached thereto.

6. A long-distance leveling device comprising a frame or support, a circular leveling member concentrically and rotatively mounted on said support, and a leveling-cord attnached to the periphery of said leveling mem- 7. A long-distance leveling device comprising a rotative, circular leveling member, a level-indicator, a scale or indicating mark on said member coperating with said indicator, and a leveling-cord attached to the periphery of said leveling member.

8. A long-distance leveling device comprising a rotative leveling member provided at its lower side with a curved ball-race, a ball located in said race, and a leveling-cord l attached to said leveling member.

9. A long-distance leveling device comi prising a rotative leveling member provided with a curved ball-race, a ball located in said race, and a leveling-cord attached to said leveling member, said leveling member being provided with a scale which coperates with said ball.

10. A long-distance leveling device comprising a circular rotative leveling member provided with a ball-race, curved concentrically with the axis of rotation of said member, a ball located in said race, and a levelingcord attached to the periphery of said leveling member.

11. A long-distance leveling device comprising a circular rotative leveling member provided with a ball-race, curved concentrically with the axis of rotation of said member, a ball located in said race, a leveling-cord attached to the peripheryof said leveling member, and a reel upon which said levelingcord is wound.

12. A long-distance leveling device comprising a support, a disk rotatively mounted thereon and provided with a curved raceway, a ball located in said raceway, the side wall of saidraceway being made of transparent material, a scale or indicating mark on said disk coperating with said ball, and a leveling-cord attached to the periphery of the disk.

13. A long-distance leveling device comprising a frame, a leveling member rotatively mounted th reon, a leveling-cord attached to said mem er, said frame being provided with a downwardly-opening socket and a support for the frame provided with a vertical stud having bearing in said socket.

In testimony that we. claim the foregoing as our invention we aflix our signatures, in presence of two witnesses, this 26th day of May, A. D. 1905.

JOSEPH H.,JANSSEN. FREDERICK T. KOESTER.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM L. HALL, E. B. WILKINS. 

